The Mafia King's abandoned bride

Elena Romano's POV:

I heard my foster mom, Rosa Romano, coughing again.

It sounded muffled, like someone was trying to stifle it with a cloth.

I carefully opened the cabinet. Just like Rosa didn't want me to hear her cough, I didn't want her to hear me rummaging for food in the kitchen.

This cramped house was a mess—garbage everywhere, moldy corners, and a sink full of dirty dishes. It was gross, but I didn't have time to clean it up.

Even if I did, it would be pointless. My foster dad, Andrew Romano, would just trash it again the next day.

Then he'd beat me and yell, saying I should be working more jobs instead of wasting time cleaning, or he'd threaten to kick me and Rosa out.

There was no food in the kitchen.

The canned food I had hidden was gone. I could picture Andrew coming back in the middle of the night, leaning against the cabinet, listening to Rosa's painful coughs while he ate every last bite.

The empty cans left behind felt like a slap in the face.

That damn bastard!

That food was for Rosa!

I swallowed my anger and took out the piggy bank hidden in the closet. I prayed there was still some money left, but it was empty. "FUCK."

I slammed the cabinet door shut in frustration.

"Elena, what's wrong? What happened, dear?" Rosa's voice was panicked, and her coughing got worse.

"Nothing, I just knocked something over." I took a deep breath, trying to sound calm.

Rosa's condition was really bad. The doctor said her emotional state was making it worse, and if she stayed negative, it would speed up her decline.

I felt so helpless. Rosa always tried to stay positive around me, hiding how she really felt.

If she knew Andrew had taken all the money again and we didn't even have food, she'd cry and apologize, just like when he took my tuition money.

After I graduated from a free public high school, I worked my butt off to get into UC Berkeley, dreaming that one day I could get Rosa out of this hellhole.

I worked part-time jobs and saved a few hundred bucks. It wasn't much, but it was a glimmer of hope.

And back then, Rosa wasn't sick. She was so supportive of my plan, hoping I could escape and start a new life.

But then Andrew found out.

He lost at the casino again and was searching the house for anything valuable. He found my money. After slapping me around, he was thrilled with his "jackpot," thinking he could win back everything at the casino.

Rosa tried so hard to beg him to give the money back to me, telling him how much it meant to me.

But that just pissed Andrew off even more. "Isn't this money important to me too? If I can turn things around with it, we'll have endless cash! Rosa, you bitch, do you remember who you belong to?"

Andrew, furious, hit Rosa harder than ever. All I remember are her screams and the blood on the floor. He ignored her pleas and dragged her by the hair while beating her.

I jumped in to try to stop him, and Rosa, trying to protect me, ended up with broken ribs.

Then I got my share of Andrew's abuse. He starved me and locked me in a dark room for three days. When I finally got out, I found Rosa unconscious. I rushed her, burning with fever, to the hospital. The doctor told us the treatment cost, but it was way more than we could afford.

In the hospital, Rosa kissed my face, crying and apologizing.

For the tuition money I lost, for her injuries, for my future.

I hugged her back and kept telling her it was okay.

In the end, with no food or money, I could only give Rosa a cup of hot water for breakfast. It was all we had left. I'd buy some food for her after I got paid from work.

Rosa lay in bed, looking so small, her breathing labored. She took the water and drank it slowly.

I could tell she wanted to ask me something, maybe about what had just happened in the kitchen.

I always kept my emotions in check around her, but she had clearly sensed my anger.

I kissed her forehead and told her my work shift was about to start, and I needed to leave immediately. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself while I'm gone, Mom."

Rosa looked at me, trying her best to smile. "I will, Elena. Remember to come home early."

After leaving the house, I ran straight to the supermarket.

After giving up on college, I had to find jobs to pay for Rosa's treatment. One job was as a daytime cashier at a supermarket, and the other was as a night clerk at a retail store.

Both jobs had long hours, leaving me with barely any sleep, but the pay was slightly better than other similar jobs, and it was paid daily.

This let me save money quickly.

I could deposit my wages into my account as soon as I got them. That money was for buying Rosa's medicine, and I couldn't let Andrew find it.

Because of what happened this morning, I was about five minutes late.

Seeing the supermarket manager, Cleo Smith, looking at me, I quickly put on my uniform and started organizing the products in my assigned area.

While my colleagues went for lunch, I kept working, moving goods from the warehouse. I hoped this would make up for being late this morning.

During the shift change after work, Cleo handed out today's wages to everyone.

As she walked past me, I spoke up, "Excuse me, did you forget my wages?"

"Elena, I thought you'd be smarter than this, not dumb enough to ask me. Can't you figure it out yourself?" Cleo looked at me, her tone smug. "You were late, Elena."

"But I was only a little late."

"So what? Everyone who's late has to pay for it, right?"

With that, she leaned against one of the cash registers and started chatting with the new employees about the latest gossip.

I tried to talk to her again, but she was completely indifferent.

This wage might not mean much to her, but to me, every penny was hard-earned.

Every coin meant medicine and food, allowing Rosa and me to survive.

I tried to talk to her again to get my salary, but she just rolled her eyes at me and said, "You better keep quiet, Elena. If you keep this up, I think this supermarket won't need an employee who is late and doesn't work properly."

She was threatening me!

This was ridiculous. What made her think she could do this?

"Elena, stop it. She really will fire you," my colleague Megan, a petite woman, whispered to me.

But her words only fueled my anger.

The anger from Andrew taking all the food and money from the house this morning, and the constant worry about Rosa's worsening condition, all these things piled up in my heart, making me almost lose my sanity.

I needed this fucking money!

I worked day and night just so Rosa could get a little better.

With great anger, I took off my uniform and slammed it in front of Cleo. "You can't do this to me. I finished my work, so I deserve my wages."

She was still arguing, "But you were late. As the manager, I have the right to dock your pay!"

"Come on, I was only five minutes late!" My voice was so loud that some customers looked over, whispering about what was happening.

I turned to them and explained, "I worked hard all day for this fucking supermarket, yet they want to dock my entire day's pay just because I was five minutes late!"

Cleo's face turned red as she angrily shouted, "That's enough. Damn it, can you keep your voice down? You're going to make our customers misunderstand."

"Misunderstand what? That you're not treating your employees like dirt?" I stared at her.

Under the disapproving looks of the customers, Cleo finally relented. She said begrudgingly, "Fine, I'll give you today's wages, but it won't be the full amount." She pulled out some bills from her pocket and slapped them in front of me. "Take your wages and get out. You're fired."

As I counted the money, she looked at me with a contemptuous expression, as if she thought this would erase her attempt to dock my pay.

I certainly wouldn't let her think she could pretend nothing happened. "I will report today's incident to the company's email. You're a terrible manager and not fit to run this supermarket."

Seeing Cleo's expression change, I walked away with a lighter step.

I planned to deposit the money in the bank first, then buy a few apples that Rosa liked.

I needed to get some easily stored food for Rosa and find a new place to hide it so Andrew wouldn't find it so quickly when I wasn't home.

I also needed to buy some painkillers for Rosa. She might have finished the ones I got her before but didn't tell me, which is why she looked so pale today.

As I was thinking, I stopped at the corner of the alley. "You bastards, who the hell let you be here?"

I saw a few adults kicking something hard, which looked like a curled-up person. I immediately shouted, "Police! Over here! Someone needs help!"

"Shit, you bitch."

"Run."

"Damn it, you're lucky this time."

As I shouted and looked around, the thugs thought there were really police nearby and hurriedly ran away.

I approached the person who had been kicked by the thugs. Black dust covered his face, and his clothes were tattered, like a homeless person.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I helped him lean against the wall and took out a handkerchief from my pocket to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Oh my God, you're bleeding. I should contact your family. Do you have any family contacts?"

He shook his head, stopping me from taking out my phone. "Thank you, but you don't need to worry about me. I have no family."

He looked a bit pitiful, but his eyes were clear and bright, leaving a deep impression on me.

His sunken cheeks hinted at malnutrition. I couldn't judge his age, and only by his clear brown eyes and gray hair, I thought he might not be that old.

"Elena, Elena Romano." I introduced myself to show I meant no harm.

"Marco," he said after hesitating.

Other than that, he refused to tell me anything else or let me call the police.

I looked at his lowered head and took out some money from today's wages, along with my handkerchief, and put them in his hand.

Rosa's medical expenses weren't urgent at the moment, but who knew where this guy would be tonight?

Rosa always taught me to be a kind person, and I was happy to do so. I hoped this money could help him, at least let him have a good dream tonight.

Then I checked the time and, before he could react, hastily bade him farewell.

The unexpected incident took up a lot of my time. I needed to quickly buy the necessary items and then rush to my night shift.

I quickened my pace, looking forward to telling Rosa about today's events, of course, about helping a guy, not getting fired from the supermarket.

Rosa might praise me.

I was so eager to get home to see Rosa that I ignored my surroundings as I walked through a deserted alley.

Someone grabbed me from behind, choking me with his arm, and threw me to the ground. Before I could react, he grabbed one of my legs and dragged me to a secluded corner of the alley. "You gave the money to a homeless guy instead of me? You bitch."

He cursed as he kicked me hard in the stomach.

I even wondered if my organs were going to shatter.